First, I’d like to share an important update: I’m all caught up! That’s right, I&Nmates: I’ve read everything–Every. Flippin’. Floppy. in my possession–including the procrastinative Calexit, issues #2 and #3, which were, in the end, not surprisingly, all right left.

Wow. I’ve killed the pile, and it feels good. You know what I’m talking about: nothing burdens a comic book nerd quite like being behind a week or a month with his or her reading.

With that load taken off of my desk–a white IKEA secretary for you I&N completists–I’m re-energized and ready to let ‘er rip–so here’s what’s I&N Store this week:

The New World #1 (Image): I&N Demand A few years ago, when we were still writing the good write, we celebrated Ales Kot as the writer of the moment: his voice was potent; it was poetry. He had us hearing things and experiencing things and thinking things in ways that were unexpected. Compared to the other solid books that populated the shelf and, ultimately, our bags, his books, particularly Zero, were just more. Speaking of more: one of the reasons I decided to return to writing about what I love is Kot’s own Days ofHate–specifically #5, the near-silent, explosively tri-ing narrative, presented perfectly by Danijel Zezelj and Jordie Bellaire–which has, through six issues, conducted in me the synaptic symphony to which I became addicted when I was deep into Zero–or, more so, when Zero was deep into me. Deeper still: as a self-proclaimed Always Kot-er, I will gleefully grab the 72-page initial offering of TheNew World–with art from the Lord of Lines, Tradd Moore–because when it comes to Kot, more is more and, damn, I’m ready to read, ready to explore.

Redneck #13 (Image)

Royal City #13 (Image)

Saga #54 (Image)

Action Comics #1001 (DC)

Doomsday Clock #6 (DC)

Amazing Spider-Man #2 (Marvel)

Bone Parish #1 (BOOM!): I&N Demand Cullen Bunn kicked my ass with his hell-raising run on Harrow County, issue for issue, the best regular monthly horror book of the last few years. After having said goodbye to Emmy and having left Harrow in good hands, Bunn’s back with Bone Parish, a drug-laced horror book that, interestingly enough, in a kind of ThePrestige vs. The Illusionist-style turf battle, seems to live in the same cemetery as Black Mask’s addictive Gravetrancers, which just so happens to be out this week, too! Now, that book is bonkers–story-wise and art-wise; and, in that, it’s a good time, man–yeah, it’s an effing trip. I’m pretty sure, however, that Bunn’s book–with art from Jonas Scharf–is going to be a bit tighter. Take the underappreciated Unsound, for example: Bunn got gleefully unhinged during that paper plate masquerade, yet the story still felt grounded–even when the ground was the ceiling! So, will I be comparing Bone Parish to Gravetrancers? Of course. Anyone who’s read the latter has an obligation to test the former–to see if it transcends its predecessor or if it falls flat. Hey: my bag ain’t no vacuum, after all: it’s some prime–and responsibly recycled–real estate; and these two death-drug lords, Bunn and Miller, will be throwing down–if only for this one day–to claim the turf. We’ll soon see who’s got the write stuff white stuff the goods and who’s got the betters.

Britannia: Lost Eagles of Rome #1 (Valiant)

Crossed+One Hundred: Mimic #4 (Avatar)

Gravetrancers #4 (Black Mask)

Hillbilly #12 (Albatross): I&N Demand It’s all led to this–every step, every story, every swing of Rondel’s cleaver: witches–lots and lots of witches–vs. the Iron Child and his newly-raised army. Eric Powell has taken us on quite a journey; with each issue and one into the next, he’s crafted an epic for the ages. I’ll be sad when it’s over, that’s for damn sure; but it ain’t over until the Hillbilly swings–one last time.

A Walk Through Hell #3 (Aftershock): I&N Demand During the terrifying stretch of road that was #2, Garth Ennis and Goran Sudzuka unloaded with the increasingly uncomfortable self-inflicted Passion of Huzikker, the suicidal centerpiece of a crazy spent-shell game of an issue. The never-ending barrage of bullets had me emotionally ducking for cover, had me silently begging for the poor guy to die–not unlike the response George Orwell demands with his revolutionary short piece “Shooting an Elephant.” (Why won’t the effing thing die already!) Another selling point, of course, is Ennis’s living anew in law enforcement. (This reads not unlike Red Team with a twist of dread–which would make this, wait for it, Dread Team.) No one cops cop speak like Ennis; yes, as always, his dialogue is to die for. And speaking of dying: I’m in no rush–and neither is Ennis, clearly; it is “a walk through hell,” after all. The terror he’s harnessed is born of the waiting and the wonder; so, yeah, let’s walk.

X-O Manowar #17 (Valiant)

Yay! A new pile! You know what I’m talking about: nothing excites a comic book nerd quite like having a new pile of comics on his or her desk.

Like this:

I’ve been turning pages all along, just haven’t had time to write about them. Well, guess what I found between the couch cushions along with some Cheez-Its and loose change. That’s right: sand–a bit too much sand. We’re beach people, sure; so some sand’s to be expected–but enough to find Abraham Lincoln circa 1994 buried up to his E plurabis unum? Yeesh!

So, yeah: symbolism.

Back to business: here’s what I’m looking forward to this week.

Crude #4 (Image)

East of West#38 (Image)

Evolution #8 (Image)

Gideon Falls #5 (Image) I&N Demand Through four issues, Gideon Falls is flawless. Thanks to Andrea Sorrentino’s slick artwork and innovative layouts, Jeff Lemire’s patience is parlayed perfectly into panel-to-panel and page-to-page paranoia–so much so that I’ve p’ed myself just writing about it! Sure, it was sad to see Bunn and Crook’s Harrow County come to an end; but as Gideon Falls continues to rise, it’s clear that the horror genre is in evil, evil hands.

Ice Cream Man #5 (Image)

Infidel #5 (Image)

Mage: The Hero Denied #10 (Image)

Royal City #12 (Image)

Skyward #4 (Image)

The Weatherman #2 (Image)

Ether: The Copper Golems#3 (Dark Horse): I&N Demand Ether is lit! Oh, yeah, it’s got me feeling Jung again: Matt Kindt’s exploration of the “collective unconscious,” as seen through the exploits of the brave and bold Boone Dias, is a masterful extension of the literary legacy that has brought us all here, to this book, to this point in our lives–as individuals, and as a part of the weCloud that we all draw and write from. The masterful David Rubín amplifies the conflict at the core of the story–science (and its reliance on reason) vs. magic (analogous to art in all its mystical and mythical forms, of course)–by joyfully leaping from traditional panel work to otherworldly layouts that are visually arresting and liberating at the same time! All together, this is a reader’s read, and I can’t wait to read #3. Highest of praise: through the first two issues of this second volume of Ether, I’m brought back several years to how I felt while reading Spurrier and Stokely’s literary love letter Six-Gun Gorilla. And considering Kindt’s premise, that makes all the sense in the world.

Batman #51 (DC) I&N Demand I had trouble conveying my relationship with #50 to my wife of 8 years—partly because I was broken man and partly because she didn’t care. See: I read it at around 1 a.m. on the 4th and got so lost in it: I fell in love with having fallen in love with the idea of Bruce and Selina; and then, predictably, I got so pissed off with the impossibility of their coming together–even though it made all the sense in the world; and then I was all WTF with the last page; and then, tired and wired, I considered a crazy coupling of King-sized consequences: dethroning and deification of the true mastermind behind it all. For having felt all of this, I realized that I loved the issue and–as my wife suggested during my unsolicited attempt at Bat and Catharsis–I loved Tom King and wanted to marry him. See what Bruce is going to miss out on! So, since things didn’t work out so well, particularly for the hubby-not-to-be, I’m sure there will be some Bat-sized consequences coming up in “Cold Days.” It might take Weeks–whose gritty style will serve as a terrific contrast to the clean computer art of his predecessor, Mikel Janin–but I trust that King will work it all out and my wife still won’t care.